We might not think we know it all, but oftentimes we think we know enough. And as Mark Twain once wrote, “It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so.”

Sometimes we have false beliefs. Sometimes we have incorrect or insufficient knowledge. And sometimes our data is obsolete. All the more reason to stay on top of our game with a lifelong quest for knowledge. Far too many people end their education when they leave school. But that’s not going to cut it in today’s world. You have to commit to lifelong learning.

A trap many people fall into is reaching a certain level of success and thinking that they know enough—or worse, they know it all. But that approach will never yield extraordinary results. You can always go further. You can always get better. And with technology and information changing as rapidly as it does, you may be easily surpassed by someone who has a greater thirst for effective attitudes, skills and knowledge.

There was a time when seniority and experience carried more weight. Today, it’s who can get the job done the most efficiently. Results trump experience.

It’s been just over five years since Dawn and I moved from The Green Mountain State to The Sunshine State. And we’ve never had a single regret. It wasn’t easy to move away from good friends and family, but other than that, it’s been all positive.

We live in arguably the best development in our county. Silverthorn is not a “55-and-better” community, but there are a lot of retirees. It looks to me like about 40% of the 800 homeowners still work.

Many retirees lead fun, fulfilling and interesting lives. But there are many others here in Florida who seem to just be getting by with little significance in their lives and not much to look forward to. And I suppose that’s why Florida has sometimes been referred to as “God’s Waiting Room”. Far too many people move here to retire and expire.

We arguably live in the most overstimulated time in history. We are exposed to and inundated with more information, more activity, more demands and more distractions than our parents—and certainly our grandparents and great, great grandparents.

And partly because of that, previous generations had more opportunity for contemplation and reflection than most of us do today.

Unless you live in a monastery, you have to be very proactive to carve out some time for yourself to think, to reflect, and to consciously and consistently gain clarity as to where you've been, where you are and where you want to go. Because if you don't, you will mostly be reacting and responding to outside influences instead of consciously CHOOSING what you think, say and do. What you do—and what you DON'T do—is what's going to create your future.

To design, create and live your best life, you have to think—and think clearly. You have to take yourself out of the busy-ness of life—at least for brief periods of time—in order to take charge of your life. You have to make sure your core values, your goals and your priorities are congruent. And you have to be willing to make NEW choices and change direction when it's required.